Macau 5 Patacas 1992-2010

History

Obverse. Photo © NumisCorner.com

Description

Portuguese Macau refers to the period from 1557 to 1999, when the territory was under Portuguese administration and served as a key trading post between Europe and Asia, developing a distinctive blend of Portuguese and Chinese culture. After the 1999 handover to China, Macau became a Special Administrative Region (SAR) under the "one country, two systems" framework, retaining a high degree of autonomy—including its own currency, the Macanese pataca (MOP), which continues to be issued by the Monetary Authority of Macao.

Designer: Justino Lei

Obverse	Animal (fish, bird, mammal etc.) Bat Depicts a bat on top of a stylized design of Chinese Characters (literal meaning Bay Gate or Macau), the colony name in Portuguese in the centre, date below. In China, bats have been associated with happiness, joy and good fortune. Five bats are used to symbolise the "Five Blessings": longevity, wealth, health, love of virtue and peaceful death. 澳 MACAU 門 1992
Reverse	Construction (building, bridge etc.) Ruins Navy (ship, submarine etc.) Junk Depicts a junk (left) on the water in front-right of the ruins of Saint Paul's, value in Chinese above, value in Portuguese below. A junk is a type of Chinese sailing ship with fully battened sails. The Ruins of Saint Paul's (Chinese: 大三巴牌坊) are the ruins of a 17th-century Catholic religious complex in Santo António, Macau, China. They include what was originally St. Paul's College and the Church of St. Paul (Igreja de São Paulo) also known as "Mater Dei", a 17th-century Portuguese church dedicated to Saint Paul the Apostle. Today, the ruins are one of Macau's best-known landmarks and one of the Seven Wonders of Portuguese Origin in the World. In 2005, they were officially listed as part of the Historic Centre of Macau, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. 伍圓 5 PATACAS
Edge	Plain